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| SOS has a strong presence in Bolivia including 17 SOS Social Centers |
September 13, 2011: Gabriela, a 32-year-old mother of four, sits at one end of her dining table, carrying her son Henry in her left arm. With her right hand, she pours lemonade. Her daughter Karen looks after her two younger sisters -- five-year-old Angela and three-year-old Noriko. Their father is in the living room watching television. “My daddy drinks beer,” says Noriko. Gabriela laughs, a bit embarrassed.
The family lives in El Alto, a city in the Bolivian highlands. Like other migrants to this area, they struggle to put food on the table. What sets Gabriela apart is her determination to move forward from terrible setbacks for the sake of her children’s future.
Last year, someone burgled her home, stealing her income source. “He took everything with him, all my sewing machines, everything,” says Gabriela. “I was desperate. I was pregnant and my husband was just not there for us.” Ruben lived at home but didn’t offer the moral support she needed from him.
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| Beneficiaries of an SOS Family Strengthening Program in Bolivia |
SOS Family Strengthening Steps In
Gabriela already knew about SOS Children’s Villages because she had admitted daughters Angela and later, Noriko, into the SOS Day Care Center several years before. After Angela hurt her finger under a sewing machine one day while at Mom’s NGO workshop, Gabriela learned the child was eligible for SOS day care. Gabriela saw the good that the day care was doing for her younger daughters, preparing them for school and life by teaching them how to make independent decisions and respect one another.
One year after Angela entered day care, which is part of the SOS Family Strengthening Program, Gabriela started working at home as an independent seamstress with her own sewing machines. Better able to manage her own time, she began taking SOS workshops designed to bolster families.
After the traumatic loss of her sewing machines, Gabriela felt desperate and resigned. Now it was time for SOS to help Gabriela herself, not only her daughters. With other mothers Gabriela took an SOS class on strengthening self-esteem. “We learned to value ourselves, as women and as mothers. I used to only focus on my children, not think of myself,” she explains.
Jumpstarting Family Income Through a Micro-Loan
She also joined a group where mothers were taught how to start their own business and could apply for a micro-loan. Gabriela received a small SOS loan, which in contrast to banks, does not charge interest. She invested in her husband’s CD business, and every week she and her husband sell CDs and DVDs in the market. “My husband used to sell standing in the shade; now we have a proper booth.”
Today, Gabriela feels strong and much more optimistic about the future. She hopes to receive a second micro-loan that, with her savings, will allow her to buy new sewing machines. And thanks to SOS-sponsored talks about marriage and relationships, she views her home life differently. “We both used to be intolerant and we fought all the time. I have since learned how to interact with him in a way that benefits the family,”says Gabriela. Her husband doesn’t attend SOS workshops, but this doesn’t hold her back from involving him in what she has learned and working to better the family’s prospects.
SOS Children's Villages is convinced that it is almost always best for children to grow up in families. Often times, families fall on hard times and it becomes difficult to care after their children. SOS Family Strengthening Programs help families learn to look after themselves and ensure family unity. Help SOS keep families together by making a donation today.